**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
⚠️ Always monitor weather reports and ocean conditions before your park visit.
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[STATEWIDE] UPDATE 3/12/26 – All State Parks and Recreation Areas on all Islands, as well as State Park Offices, will be closed as of Friday, 3/13 through at least Sunday 3/15, for public safety. A severe storm is expected to bring flooding rain, high winds, and thunderstorms to most of the State from through the weekend. Please check weather reports and check back frequently for storm closure updates.
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[HAWAIʻI] UPDATE 3/5/26 – ʻAKAKA FALLS STATE PARK: Dept. of Water Supply shut off water in the area until further notice affecting the park.
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[O‘AHU] UPDATE 3/4/26 - KA‘ENA POINT STATE PARK, MOKULE‘IA SECTION, VEHICLE ACCESS GATE: Will REOPEN today [UPDATE 3/12 - temporarily closed due to storm]. You need the 2026 Gold decal adhered to the rear of your vehicle to enter the park, the accompanying permit account provides access to the gate combination online. The 2024-2025 Purple decals are no longer valid. Apply for a 2026 Kaʻena Point Vehicle Access Permit here. All applicants must create a NEW account and apply as a new applicant. We are experiencing significant delays in processing, we appreciate your continued patience. Vehicle access dirt road repairs are occurring to stabilize severe erosion, and armor problem areas with aggregate to reduce erosion and puddling, and improve road stability.
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[KAUAʻI, OʻAHU, HAWAIʻI] 2/10/26 – Wailua River State Park (Kauaʻi), Ahupuaʻa ʻO Kahana State Park (Oʻahu), Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park (Hawaiʻi): All commercial kayak operators must apply for a Rental Vessel Special Use Permit – Commercial Application, each kayak vessel requires a registered decal. Visit State Parks Permits page here and download and mail in the Rental Vessel Special Use Permit – Commercial Application.
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[ALL ISLANDS] UPDATE – 12/12/25: Camping - Reservations for February 1, 2026 and beyond available at https://explore.ehawaii.gov, please create an account on Explore Outdoor Hawaiʻi to make a camping reservation.
A Unique Art Center in a Unique Building in a Unique State Park: Wailoa Center Education & Outreach Efforts Expanding
Posted on Jun 17, 2019(Hilo) – Wailoa State Recreation Area in Hilo is unique among Hawai‘i State Parks given it’s one of a few parks in an urban setting, right on the edge of downtown Hilo. What also makes this beautiful park unusual, is the unique building which houses the Wailoa Center, which is the largest venue on Hawai‘i Island for showcasing the work of local artists.
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The 12-sided (Dodecagon) building was completed in 1967, to help breathe new life into the green zone created by the devastating 1960 tsunami along Hilo’s Bayfront. Over the course of the past half-century the Wailoa Center has featured countless exhibits, including the popular 10X10X10 exhibit which just ended its 2019 run in the center’s main second floor gallery.
The long-time State Parks Interpretive Center Coordinator, Codi King, explained, “It’s ten artists that are each given a space and they have ten materials that they can use. One is by their choice and the other nine are materials that we chose. This ‘installation art’ gives them a new outlook on their art and gives then an out-of-the-box experience because this tends to push them to their creative limits.”
The Wailoa Center hosts 24 exhibits annually. Coming up in July is a month-long exhibit, titled, “Transformations,” which chronicles and depicts last year’s devastating eruption of Kīlauea which destroyed more than 700 homes and displaced hundreds of people in the lower Puna district of Hawai‘i Island. King expects this exhibit to help people heal, to be cathartic, and to be of great interest to the local community and to visitors.
On Friday the State Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) issued a revocable permit to the Hawai‘i Island Art Alliance (HIAA), which will allow the non-profit to expand into education at the Wailoa Center. This includes the potential of hiring visiting artists to teach classes for the community, the production of an annual art festival, and scholarships for keiki.
King commented, “It just opens up huge possibilities and opportunities for us. Teaching-artists in the community are looking forward to it because they want to share their experiences.
HIAA having the permit will jumpstart enthusiasm and propel us forward into continuing to support the arts and sponsoring more shows that are community based.”
Currently the center holds monthly receptions, often attended by more than 400 people. “When people attend an opening reception or peruse through the galleries of the Wailoa Center, we hope they will appreciate the beauty of the Wailoa River State Recreation Area,” said Dean Takebayashi, Hawai‘i Island Superintendent for the DLNR Division of State Parks. “It combines the artistic beauty of nature and the artistic creations of the artists, in one setting” he added.
